Proceeds from this match are going to the Burley Téréli Friendship Trust (BTFT) which is a small charity very close to my heart, formed by a group of volunteers in Burley-in-Wharfedale, including my Mum Mary and Dad John.

Téréli, a village on the edge of the Sahara Desert in the Dogon region of Mali, was first linked with Burley through the Millennium ‘On the Line’ project which was the brainchild of newsreader Jon Snow. These two villages, although thousands of miles apart, share the same time of day as they are close to the same meridian line.

Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world. Téréli has no mains water or electricity, there is very little soil and temperatures average around 40˚C.

Since the forming of the link a friendship between the villages has flourished. The great work of this charity, helped by their Dogon friends, has saved lives and life chances and expectancy have significantly increased.

Since the link was established 26 years ago, BTFT has raised money to improve the quality of life for the people in this area. The money raised has funded projects including the digging of 52 wells, building a Secondary School, a Health Centre and Maternity Unit, providing a motorcycle ambulance, famine relief, tree planting and providing resources for the schools.

Initially, through the exchange of drawings between school children in both villages, a relationship developed with a young boy called Zakari, which became symbolic of this link. In 2001 Zakari came to Burley to represent his village and thank the people of Burley for their fundraising. Zakari stayed at my parents' house, so I decided as a special treat, to take him to Goodison Park! Sport has a unique power to break through traditional societal boundaries and sensing a shared enthusiasm for the game Zakari suggested arranging a football tournament for local schools near Téréli.

Life is tough in Téréli where climate change and war combine to create a harsh environment, so football offers a welcome relief for students. As football provides many health and educational benefits, the Burley Téréli Cup was established and supported by BTFT.

On further visits to Burley, I took Zakari to the pub to watch Everton in the 2009 FA Cup final and in 2017 on Zakari’s third visit he watched me play football away at Harrogate Town.

When thinking what to do for my 50th this match seemed a perfect way to have fun but also to raise some much-needed funds and awareness of the great work of BTFT. If you are able to donate, no matter how small, every penny will go to providing resources for students in schools near Téréli, quite literally changing their lives. Hopefully we can help others follow in the footsteps of Zakari who despite the many challenges achieved his goal and is now a fully qualified surgical oncologist working in Bamako, the capital of Mali.

I am incredibly proud of the amazing things achieved by my parents and their fellow volunteers and wanted to use my birthday to spread the word of their selfless work and raise the children of Téréli some life-changing money in the process.

Thank you for reading

Richard Wood (Rich, Woody, Woodster…)